You’ve heard the news: Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer in an epic five-set battle to win the 2009 Australian Open. It was the longest match in the tournament’s history, lasting over 4 hours. And it was Nadal’s first victory on a hard court surface.

But what you did NOT know, is this: Nadal “baited” Federer into the five-set battle. He knew he stood a better chance of winning.
Nadal’s Secret Tactic — Know Your Competitors Inside Out

Nadal knew one thing that we did not know.

Going into this tournament final, Nadal knew that Federer had a terrible track record when it came down to stretching the match to five-sets. Federer had only won 13 out of 24 previous five-set matches, and lost 11. Nadal on the other hand, had won 11 out of 14 five-set matches — a staggering 78% winning record!

That stat alone made all the difference.

If you look back at how Nadal played his fourth set you will notice how he “gave in” after realizing that the set was a lost cause. He had already lost break points, and he knew it would be better to conserve energy to take Federer into the fifth set. And that’s what he did. He knew he stood a better chance of beating Federer in the fifth set. When it came down to the fifth set, he went all out for his break point, and he got it. He forced Federer to make more errors, and cruised to the end.